The Queen and the Hive
by jcv0284
Summary: Elsa is born into a future where nearly all people are both cybernetically and genetically augmented. Outcast by her inability to be upgraded, she must find a way to safely assimilate into a society that barely tolerates non-augmented people, as well as discover her family history. Anna, Elsa and Kristoff are all unknowingly at the center of a massive social power shift.
1. Birth of a Demigod

October 2024

The monitor's image lost focus before flickering and finally settling on a washed out, meaningless display. After an agonizing wait, the program finally corrected itself and returned an error: "Analysis failed - invalid input signal". A defeated sigh escaped the technician's mouth.

"What does it mean?" Idunn demanded. "Is my baby going to be okay?"

"Well... the ultrasounds we did previously all show she's moving and well-formed, and her vitals are steady and consistent. She should live, but beyond that I can't tell you anything. We can't run any real analytics on her DNA sequence. Like you just saw, we don't get any meaningful data."

None of the prenatal evaluation programs had worked - not the neuro-mapping, not the genetic profile, nothing. Baby Elsa was a complete medical mystery. A chilling realization gripped Adgar, prompting him to ask "So she'll be completely un-augmented... At the mercy of nature?" Idunn cringed at her husband's words, the social and political implications crashing into her with unmitigated force.

After another seemingly endless pause, Dr. Mueller replied with cautious optimism. "I wouldn't write her off just yet. When she's delivered we should have better access to her, at the very least we might get lucky and be able to implant some synaptic co-processors or maybe even neural filters further down the line."

Idunn's demeanor softened abit at the doctor's optimism. She took a moment to collect herself, but the environment wasn't helping. Sterile white walls with brushed steel trim towered over everyone in the room, casting a dessolate tint on the meeting. Eager to leave, she asked if there was anything more they should know about their daughter. When the doctor replied "She should be due sometime in December, aside from that I've got nothing else for you.", the mother-to-be gently grasped her husband and directed him to leave, which he immediately accepted.

Fall in New England was always a colorful affair, and today was no exception. Explosions of crimson and yellow disrupted the patches of faded grass on the earth, all while spires of evergreen pushed upwards through the masses of leaves below. Winter was coming to be sure, but for the moment all of the vibrant grace of autumn surrounded the home of Adgar and Idunn Arendelle. Both prospective parents dreaded the conversation that awaited them within. It weighed on them as any great burden does - but the passion and admiration shared between them propelled them past the dread and onwards.

The house came alive at their presence, garage door fading out of existence to grant entry to their car, which descended to the floor. Lights ignited in sequence as Adgar and Idunn retreated into their abode. Their living room awaited - it was a somber place, but not bereft of elegance. Low-density floral trim adorned nearly every major feature and in unique contrast to other areas of the house. The design hearkened to a simpler time, before technology had permeated every facet of life. As her husband peered thoughtfully out the window, Idunn gently interjected "What shall we do dear?".

Adgar nervously dragged his hand over his lips and down his chin. "There aren't many things we can do. We can hope, but passiveness is ineffective. There are a few safe havens, and even in this hostile environment some naturals flourish..." As he trailed off, his voice faltered. He knew that all the luck in the world wouldn't help their daughter's chances much. Not even months before, a story had broken about a teenage Natural boy who had been kidnapped and abandoned in a lesser-traveled area of the city that only responded to neural inputs. The thought of being trapped in an inhospitable, seemingly empty place with no food, water or restroom and no promise of rescue sent a cascading chill down Adgar's spine. No matter how much they tried to console each other, the looming question remained - what could they possibly do to protect their little girl from the world?

Two and a half months passed far more quickly than anyone could have prepared for.

A fire burned in the living room - it wasn't actual combustion, of course, but rather a sophisticated emulation emitting both heat and light with none of the risk of a conflagration. "... I do remember that! You had just gotten hired as a aerodynamics tester, and right when your new manager showed up to ask you how things were doing..."

Adgar jumped in and finished the story on his own "Ted had plugged a wireless keyboard into the back of my machine and started KSP while I wasn't looking. The first thing my new boss saw was a squad of kerbinauts screaming their heads off as they incinerated in the atmosphere. I thought I'd have to find a new job, but they heard him sniggering behind us."

Idunn couldn't contain her light mood, and a smile burst across her face with the memory. "I had only met you a week or so before that" she started. "We had just finished working on a short film fo... Oh. OH!" Her expression morphed from jovial to concerned instantly. "I think we've got company!"

Bolting into action, Adgar grabbed his beloved and in one deft motion swept her out of the house. He hopped into the driver's seat of their car and registered a medical emergency into the route planner. The vehicle's turbines hummed to life and jettisoned off into the night. Idunn interrupted the silence of the journey with a deceptively calm tone.

"Adgar, sweetheart... I feel. Cold. Freezing, even." Not knowing how to proceed on such little information, he simply replied "We're almost there, everything will be fine." Moments later, their craft gracefully glided into the hospital lot. Medical staff immediately emerged from the building to tend to their newest patient.

Twelve hours and one utterly exhausting struggle later, Elsa Arendelle joined the world. With the last vestiges of her waking energy Idunn cradled her new daughter tenderly. Adgar stood by stoically and admired the scene before him. He flashed them both an endearing smile and remarked "She's perfect, just like you dear."

The first temperature spike caught Idunn by surprise. In a matter of milliseconds, newborn Elsa plunged to a frigid temperature. A ghastly look possessed her mother's face - Muscles tensed as a deathly fear shot through every fiber of her being. "DOCTOR! NURSE, PLEASE ANYONE!", she screamed furiously. The staff, who had only recently started conferring with each other over the minutiae of the delivery operation, spun around to witness the sight.

Ice. Thick, faceted volumes of ice.

And before anyone could react, the ice began receding. Shock and despair gave way to confusion. Surely, baby Elsa's body temperature was back to normal and all that remained of the former ice sheets were wet puddles on the bedding. Idunn began, "I swear, just a moment ago there we..."

Adgar cut her off "It was nothing sweetie, just some extra body fluids flying around in all the turmoil." He gave her a curious look, meant to convey his suspicion of making such an event public knowledge. He drew nearer and whispered "I think we should consult Dr. Mueller before making any of this public. We could be in way over our heads here." She faced him with grim agreement and nodded. Adgar then turned and faced the staff, who still hadn't quite figured out what to make of the situation. Without a word, his assertive demeanor said all that needed to be said. He escorted them all out of the room with an utter lack of protestation from those being evicted.

The new father poised to speak but found himself disarmed by the sight before him. There it was - his world, his reason for existing, all in one place. It was pure, unadulterated bliss. Seeing the depleted look on his wife's face, he took their daughter from her and let her rest.

Two weeks later, it was finally time to have the fledgling girl fitted with her first round of upgrades. One of the greatest gifts a parent could give their children is the gift of technological enhancement. Diseases obliterated, morphological errors corrected, as well as receiving a framework that would allow the child's future self to have near total control over their destiny. Elsa's parents were hopeful that today would be the day their fears were laid to rest. Several hours into the visit, the doors finally flew open to reveal Dr. Mueller.

Adgar sprang to his feet at the sight of the doctor. Eternities passed before Dr. Mueller finally spoke with his gaze averted. "I'm sorry... we contacted every department in Evotech, I even personally exhausted my network of colleagues. All our attempted brain implants freeze and are immediately attacked and dissolved by her immune system. Every time we try to map her spinal cord, our instruments go dead. We couldn't get the MedulNode implanted, and I doubt we'll be able to install anything else either. Her ice situation is interfering with everything. On the plus side, her immuno-response is significantly stronger than normal and she is completely impervious to freezing temperatures. She should be a pretty tough girl. I've never seen anything like it. If I were you, I'd get her off the grid as soon as possible." Idunn and Adgar followed the good doctor to their sleeping daughter. They took their turns thanking Dr. Mueller, collecting their daughter afterwards.

The February storm raged with furious intensity, pelting the house of Arendelle. Inside, Idunn paced nervously. Fear about the future weighed in on her from all sides, an unyielding pressure escalating to intolerable levels. Lips quivering she screamed "WE CAN'T DO THIS! It isn't fair to Elsa!" The outburst didn't register with her husband at first - he wasn't being used to being screamed at, especially not by his dearest love. A few moments passed before his consciousness caught up.

"I can't think of a better alternative. The... other life we lead is dangerous and that's without even considering how naturals are treated here. We have the resources to take care of her, but we certainly can't do it here." Maternal instincts on fire, Idunn jumped to counter... but stopped herself. She knew her dissent was purely emotional. It wasn't a perfect solution, not by a long shot. But it was the best one they had. Tearfully, she conceded.

Seeing her despair, Adgar embraced her for several long moments before heading over to his desk. With a heavy heart and sluggish manner, he found his way into the chair. The display on the desk flickered briefly before settling on it's full intensity. A few interface navigations later and a face appeared onscreen. A grin came across the distant face, and its owner asked "Adgar! What can I do for you old friend?".

Everything within Adgar's being dragged him down - protested and dissented vehemently at what he was about to do. Logic won out in the end. "Kai... I have a favor to ask of you. You remember all those years ago when I saved your life?" Kai immediately sobered, and replied "I could never forget. What do you need?"

Idunn collapsed onto the bed nearby. With her resolve worn thin and her heart stressed to its breaking point, she wept ceaselessly into the night.


	2. Worlds Apart

_Author's Notes: I apologize for how rushed the first chapter was. I had the idea in my head and just wanted to get it out. Thanks to another kind author offering some thorough and helpful criticism, the previous chapter has been given a minor update. The update mostly adds readability improvements as well as a few 'I should have known better' fixes. It isn't a huge change, so you shouldn't have to read it again if you don't want to. I'll try to do better in the future._

* * *

The vast blue marble stared back at Elsa through the window. She had always wondered what things were like on Earth, with its endless open space and relative plenty of resources. She wasn't ungrateful for the life her godparents had given her. Far from it - life on the lunar outpost was certainly high quality. She could get nutritious foodstuffs from the galley any time of the day, and had access to the finest education available without a neural uplink. Her situation was certainly sustaining, but something on that blue sphere was calling out to her. Perhaps it was wanderlust? Maybe it was the prospect of finding true love? There was an endless array of possibilities, and try as she might, she couldn't extricate any single one of them as definitive. Elsa pondered this for awhile, wondering if Earth really was so grand, or if she was just being romantic. With a dreamy sigh, she directed her attention back to her tablet computer.

Minutes turned to hours while Elsa studied the history of humanity. Her eyes danced back and forth across the screen as she scanned the page, consuming the tale of a species both tenacious and troubled. Her eyebrows furrowed as she scrutinized chapters upon chapters of various factions fighting for recognition, rights, and survival. As she pressed on, the American civil rights movement, the sexual renaissance of the early 21st century, emergence of the trans-human movement, and a whole host of other cultural events swam through her thoughts. She closed her eyes and brushed her hair back as the full depth of the subject finally began to overwhelm her.

As she gently laid her tablet back down on the table, another subject began to creep it's way into Elsa's pondering. She reached for her neck and searched with her hands until she grasped a small metal pendant. Raising it to eye level, she read the inscription. 'Never give up, Elsa'. She frowned as she rubbed her thumb across it. This small, gunmetal pendant was the only link she had to her parents. They had given her nothing else - no messages, no pictures. Not even names. "Why couldn't you raise me?" She muttered. "You went through all the effort of sending me to Luna, of all places. What's so wrong with Earth?" Her heart dropped as the alternative crept up in the back of her mind. "... or what is so wrong with me?"

Kai's familiar voice crackled over the intercom "Elsa, we need you down in operations. There's an issue with one of the survey bots on the surface."

Activating the com unit strapped to her wrist, Elsa replied "I'll be there in just a moment!" Her mind began to swim with possibilities - if there was one thing she loved about this station, it was getting to hone a variety of skill sets. With a perfectly measured push, she jumped to her feet and strode towards the door, but an emotion from deep within stopped her at the threshold. The young woman spun around and gave the object of her daydreaming a glance before proceeding. Nested in the infinite void outside, the pale blue dot seized a chance to briefly stun and amaze her once more before her usual and overwhelming sense of duty dragged Elsa back to reality.

Clearly built for function, every nuance of the facility was rigid and solid. The overhead lights were in the middle of their day-long shift. Cold and dreary blues gave way to softer, more incandescent shades as the 'day' became night. A gentle, muted symphony of cooling fans, electrical circuits, and whirring servos was all that could be heard as Elsa passed stilly through the primary ring. She wasn't trying to be quiet, but a deep affinity for silence combined with graceful mannerisms worthy of a queen made her an especially stealthy person no matter what. Various scenarios flashed through the young woman's mind. "What could possibly have gone wrong with the survey drones?" She whispered to herself. "I've iterated the seek code thousands of times. You'd have to blast a chasm under one as it was running to throw it off..."

Operations' hydraulic doors slid open with a subdued hiss. Elsa's slender, leather-clad figure towered in the doorway. Back-lit by the diffuse lights, her dark outline juxtaposed harshly against the hallway behind her. Suspicion began to creep through Elsa's mind. Operations was the one department of the station that never shut down. Ever. Why would the lights be off and the monitors dimmed? Tiny slivers of frost began to manifest beneath her feet as she cautiously ventured into the room. With great trepidation, she spoke into the void "Gerda? ... Kai?"

"SURPRISE!" The room flooded with illumination as the overhead lights ignited. Gerda, Kai, and a few other excited people left from their hiding places in unison. "Happy Birthday Elsa!"

Elsa gasped before letting her muscles relax. The minute trail of ice she had tracked into the room melted back into pools of water. Feeling the last jitters of suspense finally left her, she remarked with a heartfelt smile "You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me." She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head ever so slightly "And besides, you didn't surprise me at all. I know my drone programming is perfect." A slight giggle rose from the group at her feigned arrogance.

Gerda drew Elsa in with her arm. "How else were we supposed to get you to do something other than work and study? You're industrious sweetheart, but you've gotta spend some time with people. Even if it's just on your birthday. You're 21 now, you can't be a hermit forever."

After snapping out of the minor introspective daydream Gerda's comment had induced, Elsa gazed at the floor and fidgeted with her hands abit before responding. "You're right, I do neglect my social needs... Thank you. I think this party will be lots of fun."

* * *

Just over nine hundred thousand miles away, Anna stood tall and erect at the precipice of an absolutely monstrous set of stairs. The concrete and steel plaza surrounding her stretched on for several hundred feet, and was full to the brim with all manner of highly polished, minimalistic street furniture. Fluorescent trim lighting and beveled edges adorned everything. Anna's face hardened as she took in the steep, ominous drop before her.

"I'm gonna do it! I'm ready, I was born ready!" She asserted with a bounce and a flourish.

"You're gonna kill yourself. There's gotta be at least 25, maybe 30 stairs there." Kristoff shot back. Miffed by his lack of confidence in her, Anna glared at him, the wind whipping copper hair past her face.

"I've got the best skeleton money can buy. You're just jealous!"

Kristoff shook his head and went to retort. Before he could get a word out, Anna was already dashing towards the stairset at breakneck speed. She whipped her hoverboard from her back down onto the pavement, and bounded into the air above it. With a crack and whirr, the board's repulsors activated. It dipped slightly as Anna transferred her momentum onto it. A flood of norepinephrine crashed through her brain, giving her the rush she so desperately craved while kicking her chronometric cortical implant into overdrive. Time began to slow down for Anna, as she sank down into a more stable posture. With unimaginable force she smashed her foot down on the tail of the board, bouncing it off the ground and sending both of her and it sailing into the sky. Approaching her apex, the adventurous daredevil grabbed the hoverboard and pulled it in close.

For a brief, blissful moment, Anna was the most graceful thing for miles around. Faint rainbow fractals ghosted over her vision, every thunderous heartbeat bringing her even higher than before.

Gravity and time savagely warped back into their normal states, but Anna didn't flinch. With the wind whipping against her face, she let her knees go loose and waited for the impact. The ground hit with unmitigated force, and Anna compressed again to absorb the energy. An insidious spark of doubt corrupted her spatial reasoning, forcing her legs to falter. Her expression went blank and she faded into a deathly pallor - the cold realization that she had milliseconds to decide between some scrapes and bruises, or a week of regenerative therapy threatened to stopped time again. Her nerves won the hellish battle, and she regained her composure just in time to fling herself into a low, long trajectory across the ground.

Kristoff grimaced and cringed at the sight of Anna sliding across the pavement, and skidding to a stop. "Anna!" He cried, before he vaulted over the wall and dashed down the stairs. Trembling, he arrived by her side.

Anna lazily plopped her arms by her side, sneered, and glared up at the sky with contempt. "Grr, I almost had it that time!"

His fears about his companion's safety assuaged, Kristoff finally dared to speak. "You did better than I would have. I can barely do a 5-set. Are you alright?"

Anna propped herself off the ground, and rose into something resembling a sitting pose. Drawing one corner of her lips back and gritting her teeth, she gave herself a cursory inspection. Her eyes stopped scanning when she got to her shoulder. She cringed a little as she noticed a fist-sized shred of skin that had been shorn off. The wound was crackling with electricity while a slight dribble of blood creeped out. She sighed with relief. "I should be fine in about an hour or so. We should go get something to eat though."

"Good, because it looks like we're about to get kicked out anyways. We'll come back some other time, You'll get it then. I know you will." The two of them surveyed the area to find all eyes squarely on them. Anna sheepishly giggled and brushed her hair back before the two reckless friends ventured away.

A few minutes later, the scent of meticulously prepared seafood wafted past Anna, instantly arresting her attention. Across the street, the culprit became obvious. She spotted a bright holographic sign, gently bobbing in the air, that read 'Frankllin Street Seafood'. Coming to a stop, Anna exclaimed "Oh Kristoff, I love this place! They have the best clam chowder!"

Intrigued by the prospect, Kristoff queried "Sounds good to me. Do they have tilapia?" The thought of soft, succulent fish stopped him in his tracks.

"They sure do! Come on, let's go!"

Standing near the edge of the table, a steamy, succulent bowl of chowder seduced Anna. Its pale porcelain form juxtaposed against the deep midnight mahogany of the table reminded her of the many late nights she'd spent gazing up at the moon in awe of its majesty. Transfixed, she sunk until the bowl was at eye level. A barely audible gasp escaped her lips.

Kristoff tried to stifle a laugh. "Anna just eat the thing. It isn't going to run away."

"You don't understand, it's soooo good!"

"I can tell, your eyes are glowing"

Anna squeaked before averting her gaze. Squirming in her seat, she fidgeted at being reminded of her peculiar quirk. Anna didn't know why, and none of the biotech specialists could tell her, but whenever she reached a certain state of arousal her eyes would begin to glow a radiant turquoise. Before long, anticipatory intrigue gave way to contentment and Anna began to savor her meal. She got about halfway through before the initial pleasures of eating wore off and her thoughts began to turn to more serious matters.

"I'm worried about my parents. They haven't gotten a hold of me in a long time. It's been almost 3 months since they've been home."

Various scenarios ran through Kristoff's mind. He knew Anna's parents were wealthy, someone could easily be after their money. He stared off into space, confounded by the lack of a ransom demand. Surely someone wanting money would have gotten to work trying to manipulate Anna. An accident while traveling? Surely the loss of a major passenger vehicle would have been reported. "I know they travel a lot and are pretty secretive about it, but 3 months is a long time. Are you going to start searching?"

Anna crossed her arms and gazed off into the distance, looking at nothing in particular. "I think I'll have to. I don't know what I'll do if something happened to them." Inwardly, she harbored a suspicion that she already knew what had happened to them, but wasn't ready to admit to such a loss. "My life is getting complicated all at once between graduating school and finding something to do with my life, but I think I've got enough free time to mount a rescue operation." Anna smirked at the audaciousness of her comment. "I'm sure everything will be alright, even if I have to make it that way myself." She took a deep breath, pushing her worries away and letting her optimism take the helm.

"I believe in you. I can't say I've got much going on in my life right now. I'm just trying to stay out of everyone's way and set up a nice living for myself. Sometimes I envy your ambition."

"Well, at least my shoulder is all healed up. Take a look at that!" Anna's face lit up like a child at Christmas with the realization that she was now free to throw herself right back into harm's way.

The clatter of dishes and silverware was abruptly interrupted by a cheer from a patron across the establishment. "Hey look everybody, it's that Westerguard guy on the TV!" On the screen stood a young man with ginger tinted hair and a perfectly pressed blazer.

"My name is Hans Westergard. I'm the president of Evotech industries, where we work around the clock to make everyone's lives safer. I'm sad to say, our way of life is under attack like never before. I'm sure you've heard the news. Dangerous Naturals are roaming the streets, taking advantage of anyone they can find." The camera panned as Hans walked over to a scared looking child, taking the child under his arm. "My company is working on the latest suite of upgrades designed to keep the ones you care about safe. Make sure you're signed up for our alerts. You can scan the bottom of the screen to sign up automatically. And please, if you see something, say something."

Riled by the advertisement, one of the patrons got out of his chair, looked around the room and proclaimed "Fuck the osterkleer!"

"They're jealous of us!" asserted a voice from across the room.

Another restaurant goer, a woman in her early 20's or so, looked troubled. Adding to the chorus, she added "They scare me... Don't they value their lives? A person who doesn't care could... do anything".

Anna recoiled visibly. "Ugh, that Hans guy makes me sick. Using fear to peddle his junk? When was the last time a Natural actually hurt someone? I mean come on, I can see people through walls, they can't." She threw up her arms, and continued. "How are they a threat to any of us?" Anna could feel herself getting warmer as an instinctual rage simmered deep within. Just the thought of anyone being treated as a lesser being threatened to set her off. It didn't even have to be anyone she knew personally, just the abstract idea of a person caused the young woman's sense of empathy to flare into high gear.

A wave of cynical empathy coursed through Kristoff. He knew all too well how cruel people can be when faced with something they don't understand. _'I can see it written all over her face. I don't blame her. I might not like people but I can't stand seeing them abused'_. His eyes widened, and his skin began to crawl with the chilling realization that Anna may have made her remark a bit too loudly, and some of the excited patrons had begun to take notice.

"Anna..." he whispered, subconsciously shifting into a lower, rigid posture "I know you're upset but you might want to be careful how loudly you say that." He swung his head towards some of the onlookers.

The comment prompted her to stare daggers at him, but she knew he was right. Bold as she was, even she couldn't take on that kind of angry mob. She swiped her wrist past a pyramid shaped box on the table and remarked with a chuckle "We're all paid up, let's leave... I guess we're not welcome anywhere today, are we?"

* * *

Back across the vast expanse of space, Elsa let out a deep breath and laid back in her chair. She blew on her coffee a bit to cool it down before indulging in a sip of the delectable mixture._ 'A healthy dose of chocolate always knocks it out of the park'_ she mused to herself. Before she could get completely lost in the taste, an shrill alarm noise from her console tore through the indulgent daydream. Without spilling a drop, Elsa deftly threw down the beverage and whipped around to read the nagging console. To her dismay, a series of error messages were stacking up in the report window for a mining operation on the surface below.

'Unit 3A: Drill Head Failure in Bore Assembly'  
'Unit 3A: Coolant flow rate has dropped below 450 ml/minute'  
'Global Driller Error: Unit Desync, pausing operation'

_'This is going to slow things down.'_ Elsa realized. Her alabaster face slouched into a more sober expression as she started to take in the full scope of the problem. Barely sullen but still mostly undaunted, she set to work allocating a replacement unit for the damaged one, and writing up a diagnostic report for the workers down on the surface. While quietly scrolling through the station tasks that would be offset by the delay, Elsa began to unconsciously rub her index and forefinger together. An incoming message alert from the surface let her know that more assistance was needed.

"Drill chief Gravis here. Elsa, I appreciate the replacement unit you sent us, but we're having a tough time seeing the coolant system with all the regolith dust floating around. Do you think you could send down a drone and blast the area clear with its thrusters?"

"I'd be happy to accommodate you chief. I'll need a moment to..."

A harsh voice, akin to gravel, began to yell through another nearby com panel. "You insufferable derelict, can you do your job with even a pittance of efficacy?"

The audacity of the comment rocked Elsa in her chair. As far back as she could remember, no one had ever spoken to her with such vitriol. Her composure melted, leaving her slack-jawed. "E-Excuse me? Sir, I don't know what you're talking about but I'm sure it can be handled withou-"

"I'm due back in Earth orbit in 126 hours and your station still hasn't delivered the thousand kilograms of Ilmenite OR the twenty-three hundred kilograms of Aluminum that were due an hour ago!"

Quivering, Elsa hesitated a brief moment before she responded "A-Alright, I'll help you in just a moment... I have to put another conversation on hold." One screen tap later, and the interface emitted a soft chime to let her know she had Chief Gravis' ear. "Chief, I've got a freighter captain here giving me a really rough time. I'll have to get you that drone in a bit, can you manage?"

"Giving you trouble? I've got several tons of fairly gnarly excavation equipment down here. I can set him straight if you'd like."

Warmth from the chief's humor took some of the edge off of Elsa's precarious state. "Thanks chief. With any luck, I'll be back in a mome-"

"Are you ignoring me you daft whore?"

A cold and unquenchable rage gripped Elsa's soul. With it came a growing crowd of jagged icicles, sprawled haphazardly across her station. "I _personally_ filed the report for those late materials the moment we knew a delay was coming. Proper protocol was followed, and _furthermore_ you will get nowhere with such a vile attitude." Knuckles white and seething with fury, the young operator gripped her armrest until the material caved.

"I don't give a damn! Thanks to your excruciatingly slow work ethic and utter lack of competence, our entire operation could fail. Why on they'd let an entire station of weak, fleshy Osterkeer run a space station is beyond me but you miss, are by far the most wretched of the lot."

She hadn't heard the term 'Osterkeer' before, but it didn't matter. The freighter captain's vicious inflection and lack of restraint said everything._ 'We work as quickly as we can here... this person. No, this monster...'_

Blinded by rage and paralyzed by fear, Elsa lowered her head into her knees and began to cry softly. Each whimper pushed the thorny array of icy needles further and with greater volume than the last.

"I'll have my minerals now you fucking worthless natural filth. Do you hear me? When I'm through with you, you'll...fzzzzzzzzzzckh"

The radio crackled before it faded into a meaningless white noise. With a thunderous roar that reverberated all through the station, components began to fail spectacularly. Alarm klaxons wailed, lights flickered, and doors became locked in place as the frail space station protested being penetrated by relentless, encroaching spinules of ice.

None of this caught Elsa's attention, not even the loudspeaker warning that life support was soon to fail. A few brave souls had taken to her side, trying desperately to calm her. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't placate her. What finally managed to finally arrest the distraught technician's attention was the curious sensation of... floating._ 'Gravity? What happened to the... oh god what have I done?'_ Lips quivering, irises dilated in horror, Elsa took in the carnage she had wrought. Not a single hair on the nape of her neck laid flat. _'This place has been my home for my entire life... and now it is all but in shambles.'_

Kai had finally managed to pry open the door. He kicked off the wall, floating over to the source of all the destruction. "It's alright, I'm here. Gravis told me someone was giving you a hard time, but I had no idea it was this bad." He hugged her close, gently repeating that it wasn't her fault. He knew that there was no way she could stay here like this, but he didn't need or want to think about that at the moment and pushed the thought aside.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I did everything I could... there was just no stopping it once it started."

"We all know you're doing your best. Can you do something for me? I think it'll help you calm down."

"I... I think so... what is it?"

"Tycho is pulling his hair out trying to get the centrifuge thrusters back online, but it's a system you know inside and out. Do you want to go help him out with that? There's no rush since we've all got hand-held thrusters for moving around. I even brought you one. I'll take care of everything here."

"I can do that... thank you." With a silent and respectful nod, Elsa kicked off the desk and made her way to attempt to repair the distressed space station.


	3. Fire and Ice

Deep pangs of guilt bit at Elsa's heart, even though she had made the greatest contributions to the repair effort. Most of the lunar outpost's systems were back to being functional, but Elsa would still catch a glimpse of the occasional mangled wall panel and shudder at the carnage she had wrought. Both her godparents had called her into the conference room to discuss the incident.

Elsa tenderly approached the door to the conference room, recoiling at the awful sound it made as the upper half ground to a halt. After shooting it a disgusted glance, she ducked under the seized chunk of metal and made her way into the room. Surrounding the center of the room stood a long, concave marble table. Gerda and Kai both sat in the middle of the bowed segment, taking a moment to share a concerned expression before turning to Elsa. As she arrived at the center of the room, Elsa straightened her posture, and put both her fists against each other behind her back, braced for whatever discipline was to come.

Kai was the first to speak. "Elsa. Since you were sent to us you've been one of the most dedicated, hard-working people to ever grace our humble station."

"Thank you. I've only ever wanted to do my best." Elsa took a brief look at her surroundings, sighed and then continued. "I really love it here."

A stream of tender memories meandered through Gerda's thoughts. Birthdays, bedtime stories and all manner of familial moments all seized an instant of sweet reminiscence. She held it for just a moment before replying. "And we've loved having you. You're a very... special girl, reclusive to be sure. But you were still a joy to raise. Shoveling frost out of the air ducts was a small price to pay."

Kai's stoic façade was starting to weaken. Clearing his throat, he began: "Which is why it pains me... pains us, to say that you can't reside here on the station any longer." He tensed in his chair, bracing for a wholly unknown reaction.

Shocked, Elsa froze in place. As the emotion began to fade, her face fell into a more defeated state. "I understand. I'm a danger. I almost killed everyone. But... I've never lived anywhere else. I have nowhere to go."

Ambient humming from the circuitry and deep groans of steel being coerced back into place were all that could be heard as the moments wore on.

Shuffling uncomfortably, Gerda drew her chair in closer to Kai's and wrapped her arms around his, as he continued to inform Elsa of what was to come. "We have arranged room and board for you on Earth, on the North American continent in a city called Cambridge. I have connections there with a group that runs a safe house for un-augmented people, just like here on the station. There's a work program, where the residents work on networking and communications technology. I know it isn't your favorite, and I'm sorry we can't do more. But if you stay here, you'll endanger everyone - yourself included."

Astonishment demolished what remained of Elsa's composure. "You... did all of that for me? After I nearly killed you and everyone we live with?"

"We don't want you to leave at all, dear." Came the unexpected response.

Not wanting to face the godparents for fear they'd see through her eyes and straight into the depths of her soul, Elsa lowered her gaze down to the floor. Unsure of what to make of the gesture, Gerda and Kai shot each other inquisitive looks.

"Thank you... I don't deserve your kindness." Drawing her arms across her chest and compressing inwards, Elsa continued: "I suppose I should go get my affairs in order, and pack my things."

"I left a full itinerary and transport access codes in your inbox." Kai said

"... And I'll see you before I go?"

"Of course."

* * *

Carefully placing the last of the vacuum-sealed clothing bags into the brushed steel suitcase, Elsa pulled it closed, and fastened the locks. Having finished packing all her clothes, she sat for a moment and contemplated which of her personal effects would serve her the best in her new home. The first thing to catch her eye was an odd, pistol-shaped contraption.

_'My IR scanner! I remember building that when I first found out about my cryokenetic tendencies... I love it, but I think I've learned all I can from it.'_

The next thing to catch her eye was a canvas mounted on the wall, a little over a meter on both dimensions. On its surface, etched in pen was the shape of the iconic Mandelbrot fractal. She had drawn it by painstakingly assembling and then programming a series of small, thumb-sized plotter drones to work in parallel and roll across the canvas.

_'I think I'll give that to Gerda. She's enamored with art, and it's the most artistic thing I've ever made.'_

Over by the window, a stained wooden box with a glass pane on top caught her attention. Elsa picked it up and scanned its contents in fond remembrance. Within the box, on a bed of red velvet, laid a series of commendations and medals she had been awarded for her service aboard the station.

_'I'm definitely bringing this one with me.'_ she thought as she scooped the box into her arms. As she straightened out from picking up the box, the full form of planet Earth once again dragged Elsa into a minor daze. Staring at it, she remarked: "Looks like we'll be meeting face-to-face after all. Although I wish it were on better terms." Out of items to pack, she resumed pacing her quarters anxiously.

The soft, synthetic voice of Elsa's tablet computer intoned: "The _Adelaide_ is leaving spacedock in one hour."

Cautious as ever, Elsa decided that it would be best to review her travel plan before departing the station. She walked over to the tablet that had given her the reminder and pulled up her schedule:

Depart from Luna-Station L1 aboard the _Adelaide_ at 13:30 12/7/2045  
Arrive at Spaceport America, NM at 12:30 12/8/2045  
Board hyperloop unit 1248 at 13:10 12/8/2045  
Arrive in Cambridge, MA at 16:20 12/8/2045

Begrudgingly, the young traveler slid the backpack with all of her effects over her shoulders and picked up the suitcase with her clothes. With a half-hearted, lackadaisical pace she made her way to the doorway. She didn't dare look back, she just raised her comm-bracelet up to her face and activated it.

"Kai... Gerda... I'm leaving to board the _Adelaide_ now."

* * *

Intense pressure waves tore through the air, engulfed by a dancing inferno of flame. Re-entry was always a spectacular affair, the dissipation of colossal amounts of energy safely across the ship's heat-shielding brought vivacious multi-colored flames into existence. The _Adelaide_ bounced, rolled and shuddered through the turmoil as she banked for her final approach.

It was even more spectacular to Elsa, who had never before in her life seen such a powerful, tantalizing display. With each of the ship's three large, sweeping de-orbit banks she had fidgeted less and smiled more. By the last one, Elsa was beaming with her hands on the window frame and he face firmly welded in place above the window. Her precious planet was getting closer by the second and just the very thought brought her to a precipice where beyond lay pure, nerve-wracking euphoria.

"This is your captain speaking. We've finished re-entry and will be landing in New Mexico in 20 minutes. You can get to anywhere on the planet from the station. The hyperloop has connections going to Boston, New York, Seattle and several other US cities. There are also flights to London, Tokyo and just about anywhere else. Thanks for flying on board the _Adelaide_."

And as surely the sunrise, those twenty minutes later the _Adelaide_ kissed tarmac. Hot smoke poured off her wheels in long plumes as she skidded to a stop. Inside, the passengers twitched and fiddled, anxious at being forced to wait just a little bit more.

Inside the spaceport was unlike anything Elsa had ever seen. She walked over to the handrail on the top floor and looked out. The ceiling was one wide, slightly-arched glass curve held high off the ground by thick steel pillars. Everything about the interior exuded slick, polished design; from the micro-reliefed floor tiles to the fluorescent strips along the floorboards of the walls. Hundreds of people were going in all directions, their voices and movement filled the great atrium in a cacophonous wave.

Over by the luggage return, a line of travelers stood in front of the return doors. As each person stood near a door, it would open a moment later with their belongings on a platform. That is, until Elsa made her way over to the doors. She waited... and waited. Nothing. Confounded, she cocked her head and put her wrists on her hips. _'Everyone else was just standing in front of the door. They didn't do anything, at least not as far as I could see...'_

"Hey, quit holding up the line! Get your stuff and get out!"

The interjection brought the confused young woman to a standstill. Cautiously, she turned to face the angry traveler. What she saw did not instill confidence - the man was easily six feet tall and had a physique akin to a freight ship. Sloping down from his shoulders were two thick arms made up of interlocking mechanical parts. Shuddering, Elsa thought to herself: _'Eek... he could throw me halfway across the spaceport.'_

"I'm sorry... I saw everyone else just standing here and their belongings showed up automatically. I've never been on this planet before and I don't understand much here."

The previously angry traveler softened a bit and let out a sigh "Lady, there's an interface for people without an uplink over there. See the kiosk?" He motioned to a meek looking station about seven meters away. "I hope you're not a complete Luddite because it takes a computer interface."

After thanking the man as politely as she was able, a flustered Elsa scurried over to the kiosk, dying to get at her belongings. Fortunately she had her trusty tablet machine in her carry-on, so she was able to work her way through the interface with little effort. She swiftly grabbed her luggage as soon as it appeared and made her way towards the exit of the spaceport.

It was several moments after she had stepped out the front door before Elsa realized anything was wrong. Absent-mindedly she raised her gaze from the ground where it had laid and looked up to the sky. Agoraphobia coursed through her as the monstrous weight of emptiness above came crashing down, the vast expanse of the desert exacerbating her already frayed spatial perception.

_'I had no idea I was this claustrophilic... cripes, I've gotta get to the hyperloop. That should calm me down.'_

As the young woman tore off into the distance, soggy footprints seeping into the hot desert sand were all that remained of the ordeal.

* * *

Anna tapped her foot impatiently. Kristoff was supposed to have met her there by the Charles river over 15 minutes ago. _'If he doesn't show up soon, I'll just run by myself.' _Leaning against the wooden railing next to her, she gandered out across the water. Anna felt her muscles relax and her mind go placid at the way the morning sun scattered across the waves. Before long she had lost herself in the cool breeze coming off the river to the point where she was swaying unconsciously.

"Hey! Anna, I'm sorry I'm late. There wasn't much I could do about it though, there were some troubles with the T. The red line is having power issues... Anna?"

"Oh... Kristoff! Hi! Sorry, I kinda lost myself there."

"No sweat. Shall we be off?"

"Yeah!"

About half an hour into their run, Kristoff skidded to a stop, and held out his arm to stop Anna as well. His subconscious was putting something together, but he hadn't quite caught up with it yet. He whipped his head off to the right, clearly investigating something.

"Kristoff, what is it?" Anna queried. It didn't look like he was looking at anything in particular - all Anna could see was a fence covered in thin plastic mesh running parallel to the side of a nearby building.

"There are some people back there in that alley. You can't see them because the fence is in the way, but they're there. Check it out in infrared."

"Yeah, there are 4 regular old people... wait! What the heck is that cold spot? It's gotta be at least negative 20 degrees!" Anna's face crunched in awkward contemplation. _'What on Earth could be so cold in the middle of the summer?'_ she thought to herself. _'And why are those people circling it like vultures?'_

"Uh... Anna. That cold spot... is a person. It's just over one and a half meters tall and has four limbs. Not to mention it's walking." The slow and awkward inflection in his voice divulged his confusion at the realization.

"Impossible! Anybody that cold would freeze to death, and they certainly wouldn't be up and walking around."

But the mysterious figure was walking. Backwards. Into a corner, while 4 others closed in on it. Curious as she was about the identity of the mysterious stranger, Anna's penchant for heroism was starting to take over and pull her towards the conflict. Without fail, Kristoff had already seen the gears start turning in his companion's mind. He started preparing to cover her for whatever bold rescue plot she was inevitably going to dive into.

"Anna what do you plan o-" Kristoff stopped in mid-sentence, scanning the area before he cursed silently to himself. Anna was already gone, a flash of copper and black that flew from the ground and onto a nearby fire escape was all that could be seen. Wincing at how little precious time he had to spare, Kristoff bolted off into the distance.

Up on the building's roof, Anna found a clear trajectory to a lower balcony with an unobstructed view of the scene. A single bound later, and she finally had a view of what she was in for. Much to Anna's surprise, not only was the retreating cold spot a person, but an attractive young woman with platinum-colored hair. _'Huh, she's cute. I wonder what's up with the jumpsuit though, who would wear that?'_ Anna thought before hurling herself off the balcony and into the empty air above the conflict.

Whistling wind and the glorious feeling of acceleration brought a rapidly descending Anna into a wave of euphoria. With an overtly audible crash she slammed into the ground, her composite skeleton absorbing the impact gracefully. Confident as ever, she smirked before raising her gaze. "Stop right there, criminal scum!" Anna proclaimed, throwing her head back and having a haughty chuckle. Much to her dismay, she was met with only derision.

"Ha! You think you're some kind of super hero? Fuck off, or we'll do to you what we're gonna do to this freakish osterkeer."

Of the four aggressors, Anna could clearly see that this one was the most audacious. Tall with spiky black hair and a burly physique he was quite the foreboding figure. Her arrival had at least caused two of the others to stop and give each other inquisitive looks, but their leader had remain unmoved at her theatrics. _'I'll have to take him out first'_ she asserted to herself. Without another word she charged him.

Anna's opponent saw her right hook coming and ducked it, grabbing her under the knees and tossing her into the air. Anna sailed along a parabolic trajactory, correcting for the imbalance and landing softly on her toes. She was starting to get flushed and hot, adrenaline pumping through her veins. The vigor compelled her to charge again, this time she broadcast the right hook even more obviously. Throwing her punch off course at the last minute, she feinted to the left, closing the distance and following up with a spinning elbow straight to her opponent's face. Finishing her follow-through, Anna caught a glimpse of the strange woman she was trying to rescue, who happened to be studying her intently. _'She must really think I'm something else'_ she mused, her mind starting to drift from the fight.

Proximity alarms blaring incessantly, Anna spun around just in time to watch a metal fist fly past her face, clipping her copper hair and shearing strands of it off. She cursed under her breath. _'Can't let a pretty face distract me, that'll get us both killed.'_ Un-focusing her eyes, she crouched lower and looked past the new assailant, waiting... no, hungering... for the faintest hint of movement. When the kick did arrive she caught it down low, and in one smooth motion she stepped inwards and threw her attacker along a long, low trajectory across the ground, tripping up the other two approaching fighters.

Dumpsters and various other street furnishings made a raucous choir of discontent at being heaved from their positions. The calamity took Anna out of the fight just long enough to catch a glimpse of Kristoff's car bursting into the scene. She felt a load of pressure come off her shoulders knowing that everything was moments away from being back to normal. Without a moment's hesitation she dashed over to the mysterious stranger who had retreated completely into the corner.

"Get to the car, I'll cover you!"

Sure enough, the frightened young woman took the chance and ran full-tilt straight for the car. Knowing she had to make good on her promise for cover, Anna kept a healthy distance behind. She couldn't help but take the occasional opportunity to taunt their pursuers, sticking her tongue out at them.

Big mistake. She saw her proximity alarm going off again but didn't have time to dodge. Hands grabbed her from every angle, dragging her down to the ground. Out of her periphery she could see the young woman she had just rescued arguing with Kristoff. Thanks to her augmented hearing, she could hear the conversation taking place.

"What are you doing? we can't just leave her there!"

Kristoff responded: "You don't understand, we need to keep our distance. Get in!"

Knowing that her job was mostly done, Anna turned her attention back to the 4 angry cyborgs that were pinning her down onto the pavement. _'Aww crap... this isn't going to be fun.'_

"Hey guys let's not get too crazy, huh?" She pleaded, trying to stall for time. "I didn't cause any lasting damage. Bumps and bruises... you should be fine!"

"Oh no you don't, you're not getting off that easy. You're getting two beat downs for the price of one." The gang leader stood over Anna, grinning malevolently. "Ooh, I'm gonna enjoy this. A pity your friends didn't stay to watch." Emitting a guttural grunt, he whipped his fist back before slamming it down, missing Anna's head by millimeters. She grimaced, taking in the sight of the mangled pavement next to her. Vibrations from the punch rattled her all the way down to her bones. The seismic readings on her HUD didn't help either.

Twisting his fist into the ground a bit to make the message that much more clear, the towering figure stared deeply into her eyes trying to get a read on how badly she'd been shaken by the display.

_'Come on, come on, COME ON!'_ Anna screamed internally. _'Just another second!'_

That's when it happened. Anna's systems alerted with the following message: "Charging Complete!"

"Do I get any last words?" Anna queried?

"... And what would those be?" He stared back down at Anna, barely noticing the erratic flicker of sparks coming off of her.

"TAKE THIS!" Anna screamed, simultaneously unleashing a massive electrostatic discharge from her hands and into all four assailants. As soon as they fell to the ground she got up and took off out of the alley.

Kristoff was waiting for her. "Anna, are you alright?"

She stumbled a bit before responding. "My HUD is scrambled... I think my chronometric implant is rebooting... But all things considered I'm ok. Let's go."

"You got it... here, let me help." He took her hand and walked her over to the car, opening the door for her.

Anna collapsed into the seat and threw her head back with a grateful sigh. Relishing in the peace for a moment, she closed her eyes and spaced out.

A meek voice broke the silence. "I don't mean to be rude... and I want to thank you profusely for helping me out back there. But who are you?"

Anna opened one eye before lethargically turning to answer the question. "Oh... I'm sorry. I'm Anna! And this is my partner in crime, Kristoff."

"Crime? You're criminals?"

"What? No! It's an expression!" Anna could feel herself getting hot and flushed. 'Who doesn't understand 'partner-in-crime'?'

"Oh. I have to apologize. I'm not from this planet, I just got here today. I'm quickly finding that I don't understand anything about this place."

"You're not missing out on much, this place can be a real mess sometimes." Kristoff interjected.

"Oh don't listen to him, he's such a cynic! We've got our problems here on Earth but there's a lot of good things here too! Anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself. What's your name?"

"I'm Elsa. I lived on the lunar space station until yesterday. I... had to leave."

"Does that have anything to do with you being 20 degrees below zero?"

Elsa cringed, sinking into her seat. The comment obviously hit close to home.

Anna couldn't believe Kristoff's audacity. "Kristoff, TACT!" she scolded. "He can be a bit blunt sometimes... Sorry."

"No, it's ok I understand. I'm a bit of a shut-in myself. I don't do well around new people."

"I think you're doing just fine! I'm very glad I met you Elsa." Anna offered a warm smile. She was both genuinely pleased with having met this interesting young woman, and eager to offer some reassurance at what Anna could only imagine was a difficult ordeal. She noticed that Elsa had stopped wringing her hands and sat up a little more confidently in her seat.

Without thinking, Elsa blurted out: "You were incredible back there! You jumped off a roof, it had to be at least 3 levels tall! And the way you flew through the air when that guy threw you. It was incredible!"

The energy in Elsa's comment softened Anna up even more. "Oh it was nothing, I try to help out whenever I can."

"Don't let her modesty fool you, she's a real hot-rod. You wanna know why we stayed back when she got dog-piled?" Kristoff asked from the driver's seat.

"I have to admit, I thought you were being a bit of a coward hiding back there." Elsa said, a bit harsher than she had meant to.

"I don't blame you. Anybody who doesn't know Anna would have thought the same thing. But she's seriously decked-out. Anna is the only person I've ever met with that powerful of an ESD shock system, AND she's shielded against it. We stood back because I would have been useless KO'd like those other guys back there."

Anna blushed as much as her semi-synthetic skin would allow.

Elsa perked up at Kristoff's comment. "Wait... you mean you were never in any real danger at all?"

Anna smiled and chuckled softly. "Not really... Most of that fight was just for show, to get you enough time to get out."

"Forgive me if this is too bold, but you have quite the fiery personality Anna."

That's when Anna realized that her new friend probably had places to be.

"Do you have anywhere to go? I mean I'm not trying to get rid of you... erm I mean... I don't want to keep you, I'm sure you've got a busy life. But that isn't to say I want you to go... wait what?"

Kristoff chuckled heartily, filling the car with levity. "Haha! Look at that, you've got her all tongue-twisted! You've got to be something special, she doesn't get flustered easily."

Elsa looked at him inquisitively, clearly not understanding him but not curious enough to push for more info. She pulled her tablet out of her pocket and pulled up a map of the area. Pointing to a location on it, she said: "Anna if you would be so kind, I need to go here."

"You got it!" Anna replied, relaying the coordinates to Kristoff.

The car drifted to it's destination, Elsa opened the door and stepped out, heading for her domicile.

"Elsa, wait!" Anna cried out. She wasn't about to let this intriguing new person walk out of her life that easily. She let out a sigh of relief as Elsa turned to address her.

"This is my infolink code. You can call me any time, and I'll hear it in my ears. Seriously, any time. At all. I'm here for you. You don't have to face this planet alone." She handed Elsa the code with one hand, and when Elsa went to take it she put the other on top of Elsa's, seizing the chance to look her new friend in the eyes.

Unsure of what to make of the gesture, but thankful it was finally a pleasant one instead of the abrasive sort she'd been so used to, Elsa remarked: "You two are quite the duo, you know that?"

"Now we're a trio. Don't forget it!"


End file.
